CalendarZ

  1. Home
  2. On This Day
  3. January
  4. 20
  5. Battle of Yungay

Events on January 20 in history

Battle of Yungay
1839Jan, 20

In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.

The Battle of Yungay (or Yungai) was the final battle of the War of the Confederation, fought on January 20, 1839, near Yungay, Peru. The United Restorer Army, led by Chilean General Manuel Bulnes, consisting mainly of Chileans and 600 North Peruvian dissidents, attacked the Peru-Bolivian Confederation forces led by Andrés de Santa Cruz in northern Peru, 200 kilometers (120 mi) north of Lima.

The decisive battle ended with a complete Restorer victory after six hours of fighting, and effectively dissolved the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy. It ended the War of the Confederation, and Santa Cruz exiled himself to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The new Peruvian government paid its debt with Chile from the liberation expedition from a decade ago, and gave awards to Chilean and Peruvian officials. Peruvian officers who served under the Confederation, including Guillermo Miller, Mariano Necochea, Luis José Orbegoso, and Domingo Nieto, were banned from the Peruvian Army.

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1839

  • 3Jun

    First Opium War

    In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kg of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
  • 17Jun

    Edict of toleration

    In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result.
  • 22Jun

    Treaty of New Echota

    Cherokee leaders Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot are assassinated for signing the Treaty of New Echota, which had resulted in the Trail of Tears.
  • 2Jul

    La Amistad

    Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinqué take over the slave ship Amistad.
  • 23Aug

    First Opium War

    The United Kingdom captures Hong Kong as a base as it prepares for war with Qing China. The ensuing three-year conflict will later be known as the First Opium War.